Our holdings include hundreds of glass and film negatives/transparencies that we've scanned ourselves; in addition, many other photos on this site were extracted from reference images (high-resolution tiffs) in the Library of Congress research archive. (To query the database click here.) They are adjusted, restored and reworked by your webmaster in accordance with his aesthetic sensibilities before being downsized and turned into the jpegs you see here. All of these images (including "derivative works") are protected by copyright laws of the United States and other jurisdictions and may not be sold, reproduced or otherwise used for commercial purposes without permission.

Bravo Dave! Thank you for having your Moron-O-Meter set to Full Detect. Obviously, this pathetic moron was one of the self-righteous variants that are appearing on an ever-increasing basis. Self-righteous morons tend to be aggressively stupid as well.

Keep up the distinguished work here. Your website is the only website that I routinely check on throughout the day. Shorpy always manages to have something interesting that engages my brain. The images and commentary on Shorpy speak to me in a million different ways, just as I am sure they do for the majority of your readers.

[Thank you and everyone else (shoutout to Mr. Mel) who had something nice to say. - Dave]

What nerve you have Dave. You neither invented the camera nor acknowledge the history of this invention. Same goes for glass plate negatives. And what about the internet via which we all see these remarkable images? Did you help Al Gore invent that too? And on the subject of websites, you employ Java, xhtml, jpg, etc... How dare you exploit the pains and labors of all these creative inventors/programmers to share your passion with us?

Nobody thinks Dave or other Shorpy representatives travel back in time and capture these wonderful pictures. I'm sure most of the readers of this site are perfectly aware that most of them are from the LoC archives, unless otherwise marked. When we express our gratitude à la "this is why I love Shorpy", it's because we appreciate the work that is being done in finding these pictures and making them readily and conveniently available. And moderating the discussions.

Didn't figure you'd post any comments that called you to task for misrepresentation. Those photos that everyone gives you credit for belong to ALL OF US, thanks to the United States Government - a fact you consistently fail to mention when you post these (for money via ads no less).

Pathetic.

[If you apply your eyeballs to what's right in front of your nose on every one of our 5,000-plus pages, you'll find that's not the case. In addition to a few other things you seem not to "get." But stick around! Perhaps enlightenment will come. - Dave]

>> A wonderful picture of contagious human energy, this is why I love Shorpy.

but try and remember where these photos came from. They're not Shorpy's. Most of these have come from the United States Library of Congress. Each photo displayed on this site should also be noted as such.

Whatever they painted on the moulding around the doors and windows sure looks more sixties psychedelic than we usually think of as coming from the 1920s. Wonder what colors it was, and what they were thinking when they painted it.

The two little rascals leaning against the signpost could not have been any cuter if they were chosen by a casting director, dressed by a costume designer and posed by a body language expert. Their adult stance, with hands in pockets, waiting patiently while the adults do their thing, is something that could not have been scripted. I find them to be the most appealing characters in this photo. Judging by the excited adults trying to get into this store, there must have been some incredible bargains for opening day. A wonderful picture of contagious human energy, this is why I love Shorpy.

I don't remember anymore when People's became CVS, but I still call it "Peoples." Same with Reagan Airport. I still call it "National." When I'm corrected, I smile and nod as though senile, but I think, "I grew up here, buddy. I get a pass."

Shorpy.com | History in HD is a vintage photo blog featuring thousands of high-definition images from the 1850s to 1950s. The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago.